Obninsk Powers Grid: World's First Nuclear Station Goes Live
The Soviet Union's Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant began generating electricity on June 27, 1954, becoming the world's first nuclear power plant connected to an electrical grid. The reactor produced only 5 megawatts of electricity, enough to power a small town, but it proved the concept of peaceful nuclear energy. The plant used a graphite-moderated, water-cooled design that would later evolve into the RBMK reactor type used at Chernobyl. Obninsk operated for 48 years before being shut down in 2002. The Soviet achievement spurred the United States, United Kingdom, and France to accelerate their own civilian nuclear programs. Britain's Calder Hall, which opened in 1956, became the first commercial-scale nuclear power station. Today, over 440 nuclear reactors in 32 countries generate approximately 10% of the world's electricity.
June 27, 1954
72 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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